Bird feeders having adjustable hoods to protect feed material therein from the elements and unwanted species are commonly utilized. Such normally take the form of a hood vertically adjustable in varying positions above the feeder dish. For example, one such construction utilizes a flat roof which is vertically adjustable along a common supporting post for both the roof and the feed dish. Such known constructions necessitate that the hood or protective cover be positioned above the upper peripheral portions of the dish a distance sufficient to permit access by the birds to be fed. Such disposition, however, does not always provide adequate protection against the elements, such as wind, rain and snow. Such required spacing of the hood above the dish may further provide undesirable access to squirrels, which, although unable to feed directly through a narrow spacing, may by able to reach through such opening into the dish, thus obtaining scattering, or otherwise wasting feed material therein.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a bird feeder construction which, although retaining an alternative hood positioning feature to selectively attract a variety of bird species, further provides a greater degree of protection from the elements and reduced access to pests.
Another shortcoming of prior-art devices of this general nature is that, although utilizing adjustable hood or roof members as indicated above, generally the hood is either semi-permanently fixed in position either by some positive connection or by latching means which temporarily fixes such positioning, or at least renders it difficult to lift the hood when it is desired to refill the container. It is accordingly desirable to provide a bird feeder construction of the type under consideration wherein ease in refilling access to the container is achieved while still maintaining the advantages of the positive adjustment features of prior-art devices.